外交部 (wài jiāo bù) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Definition

noun

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Measure word · 个

外交部。
wài jiāo bù Zuó tiān fā bù le zuì xīn shēng míng.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the latest statement yesterday.
外交部。
wài jiāo bù Fā yán rén huí dá le jì zhě de tí wèn.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs answered the journalist's questions.
外交部。
Liǎng guó zhèng zài tōng guò wài jiāo bù jìn xíng gāo céng huì tán.
The two countries are holding high-level talks through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

外交foreign relations

外wàiforeign交jiāorelations

偏正Modifier + head

部bùministry

外交 means foreign relations and 部 means ministry, forming the foreign ministry.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

月

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

咅

咅pǒu部bù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Appears in